Russia invades Ukraine, protesters look to cross Cook straight and phase 3 of our Omicron response is here in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
Russia's military action in Ukraine has already led to a spree of sporting implications with players trapped in the country, major events cancelled and sponsorships withdrawn.
Brazilian football players from Ukraine's two biggest clubs have issued an appeal to the Brazilian government, saying they are trapped by the attack.
A group of players from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv posted a video together with their families from a hotel where they called for support from the Brazilian authorities, joined by Uruguayan player Carlos de Pena of Dynamo. They said the borders were closed and fuel supplies had run out.
"We are really desperate. We are going through chaos," Shakhtar defender Marlon Santos wrote on Instagram. "We have the support from our club. But the desperation is agonising. We wait for the support from our country. We speak in the name of all the Brazilians in Ukraine."
Shakhtar Donetsk defender Marlon Santos. Photo / AP
Similar messages were posted by Brazilian players living elsewhere in Ukraine, including by forward Marlyson and two teammates from Metalist 1925 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border, and three players from Zorya Luhansk, a club based in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca, who has been linked with Premier League clubs this season, is trying to escape Ukraine where he is based with his wife.
Fonseca, 48, coached Shakhtar Donetsk for three years and was based in Kyiv city centre after leaving Roma last season. It is understood he is trying to get to neighbouring countries but airports are closed and a petrol shortage means driving to the border is not possible.
"My family and I are going through a very tough time in the middle of an unacceptable war," he said. "However we believe peace will eventually prevail and we must remain strong.
"I've received many messages and wanted to thank everyone for the care that you have shown."
The Ukrainian league was suspended indefinitely on Friday after martial law was declared in Ukraine.
'I hope you die the most painful death'
Oleksandr Zinchenko has attacked Vladimir Putin over Ukraine invasion. Photo / Getty
Manchester City and Ukraine star Oleksandr Zinchenko has responded to the Russian invasion of his homeland with a blazing verbal assault on Vladimir Putin.
In a message that has now been removed, Zinchenko was reported by the media organisation Zorya Londonsk to have posted a picture of Putin with the words: "I hope you die the most painful suffering death, creature". It was subsequently confirmed that Zinchenko's post about Putin was deleted by Instagram.
The 25-year-old wing-back also shared another post on Instagram which says, "Russians, is it nice for you to wake up in fascist Germany? Any Russian who has not expressed his opinion loudly now will be considered an enemy forever."
Zinchenko has played more than 100 games for Manchester City since joining the club in 2016 and was part of squads that won three Premier league titles. He has played 15 games so far this season for City and has won 48 caps for Ukraine.
On Wednesday, he also posted a photograph of Ukraine with the message: "My country. The country where I was born and raised. A country whose colors I defend in the international sports arena. A country that we try to glorify and develop. A country whose borders must remain inviolable. My country belongs to Ukrainians and no one will ever be able to appropriate it. We will not give up! Glory to Ukraine."
An extraordinary meeting of the UEFA executive committee will be held on Friday to discuss the geopolitical crisis and officials are set to confirm taking the May 28 showpiece game out of Russia, a person with knowledge of the process told the Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.
UEFA did publicly rebuke Russia and said it was dealing with the "situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency" while confirming the meeting.
"UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion in Ukraine," the governing body said in a statement.
"We remain resolute in our solidarity with the football community in Ukraine and stand ready to extend our hand to the Ukrainian people."
As Russia's threats toward Ukraine had grown through the week, the British government and fan groups had already called for the final not to be played in St. Petersburg, where the stadium is sponsored by Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.
The company is also the main sponsor of Schalke, but the German second-division club said on Friday that the Gazprom logo was being removed from its jerseys.
A senior Gazprom executive also quit the supervisory board of the Gelsenkirchen-based club after being a target of US sanctions. Matthias Warnig is CEO of the newly built, but never operated, Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline which is a multibillion-dollar project of Gazprom and European companies.
Critics said Schalke was used to popularise Gazprom in Germany as it pushed to construct the gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, which bypassed Ukraine. Gazprom has been a sponsor since 2006 and provided the cash that fuelled a run to the Champions League semifinals in 2011.
An advertisement for Gazprom is displayed at a Champions League fixture at Luz stadium in Lisbon. Photo / AP
German newspaper Bild this week began covering the Gazprom logos on Schalke jerseys with "Freedom for Ukraine" to protest against Russia's deepening military intervention in Ukraine.
UEFA's sponsorship by Gazprom is also under scrutiny with its branding having a significant profile this week at Champions League round of 16 games.
UEFA's leadership had held off making a call on the Champions League final venue until Russia on Thursday started to target cities and military bases in Ukraine with airstrikes and shelling as tanks and troops rolled across the border.
Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have called on Formula One to abandon the Russian Grand Prix following the invasion of Ukraine, as drivers committed to a boycott of this year's race in Sochi.
F1 teams are also likely to discuss the situation on Friday after the sport's CEO Stefano Domenicali called a meeting between the team principals.
It was four-time champion Vettel who gave the loudest condemnation when asked whether he thinks the race in Sochi - scheduled for late September - should take place following Russian President Vladimir Putin starting a full-scale attack on their neighbours.
Speaking at a press conference in Barcelona as part of pre-season testing, Vettel admitted he was "shocked" by scenes witnessed overnight in Ukraine. He then became the first driver to declare he will not race in Russia while the conflict is ongoing.
"I think it's horrible to see what is happening," Vettel said. "I should not go, I will not go," he added. "I think it's wrong to race in the country. We should not race in the country. I am sorry for the innocent people who are losing their lives, who are getting killed for stupid reasons. It is a very strange and mad leadership.
"I'm sure [not racing] is something we will talk about. Personally I am so shocked and sad to see what's going on. We will see going forward but my decisions are already made."
Vettel, who is head of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said the drivers had not yet met to discuss the issue. But defending champion Max Verstappen echoed the German's thoughts.
"When a country is at war, it is not great to race there," he said. "But it's not only what I think, the whole paddock is going to decide what we do next."
Verstappen's team principal, Christian Horner, said that it was a decision for F1 and the FIA but was doubtful whether the race would go ahead. "Well, I cannot believe that we will go and race in a country that was in an active war. I just can't see it," Horner said.
The threats of a boycott came after F1 refused to commit to one of its own.
In a statement issued on Thursday morning, an F1 spokesperson said: "Formula One is closely watching the very fluid developments like many others and at this time has no further comment on the race scheduled for September. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely."
Vitali Klitschko, the former world heavyweight champion and the mayor of Kyiv, has said that he is ready to join Ukrainian soldiers in fighting against the Russian invasion of his country.
Klitschko, who posted a joint message on Twitter yesterday with brother Wladaimir, another former world heavyweight champion, also declared a state of emergency in the Ukrainian capital city.
Asked on Thursday if he was ready to join civilians and soldiers in fighting against the Russian military, Vitali, who is 50, said: "I don't have another choice. I have to do that," before adding: "I will be fighting. I believe in Ukraine. I believe in my country and I believe in my people."
Wladimir Klitschko (L) and his brother Vitali Klitschko pose with their combined championship belts in 2012. Photo / Getty
His younger brother Wladimir, who is 45, enlisted in Ukraine's reserve army in Kyiv earlier this month, saying that love for his country compelled him to defend it. Ukraine has been braced for a military offensive over recent weeks after Russia assembled tens of thousands of troops near their borders.
"One district from here, my little girl is going to school," said Wladimir. "It is the love, the love for my city, my home, my family, my neighbours, my daughter that has brought me here, that I took this initiative and am now taking part in this territorial defence.
"I can't stand still and I won't. That's why I signed up for the territorial defence of the country and the city."
The International Olympic Committee said it "strongly condemns the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian government," days after the end of the closing of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The truce is intended to secure safe passage for athletes during the Games and, in the long term, promote the idea of working toward world peace. It runs until the end of the Paralympics, which are due to open in Beijing on March 4.
The International Paralympic Committee condemned Russia and said it held talks with sports officials in Ukraine, which still plans to compete in Beijing and requires safe passage for its athletes.
"This is a truly horrible situation, and we are greatly concerned about our National Paralympic Committee and Para athletes from Ukraine," IPC President Andrew Parsons said. "Our top priority right now is the safety and well-being of the Ukrainian delegation, with whom we are in regular dialogue."
Russia's name, flag and anthem are already barred from the March 4-13 Paralympics in Beijing over previous doping disputes. Its team is due to compete as RPC, short for Russian Paralympic Committee.
Russia has violated the Olympic Truce three times in 14 years, fighting a war with Georgia over the disputed territory of South Ossetia during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and launching a military takeover that annexed the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics closed.
Focus is turning to Russia hosting other major sports events in the coming months.
In basketball, Barcelona said its team would not fly to Russia for two games against Russian teams — Zenit St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow — on Satuday and Monday in the Euroleague. A basketball World Cup qualifier between Spain and Ukraine was played as scheduled in Spain on Friday despite some requests by Ukrainian players to suspend the game. The entire crowd and Spanish team loudly applauded the Ukrainians before the game.
Ukrainian NBA players Alex Len of the Sacramento Kings and Svi Mykhailiuk of the Toronto Raptors posted a joint statement on social media, saying:
"We categorically condemn the war. Ukraine is a peaceful, sovereign state inhabited by people who want to decide their own destiny. We pray for our families, friends, relatives and all the people who are in the territory of Ukraine. We hope for an end to this terrible war as soon as possible. Dear fellow Ukrainians, hold on! Our strength is in unity! We are with you!"
In rugby, European organisers postponed Georgia's match with Russia on Monday in Tblisi in the Rugby Europe Championship. The women's game between Spain and Russia on Sunday in Madrid is still on.
FIFA was yet to comment on Russia's scheduled hosting of a World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal against Poland on March 24 for the right to also host the winner of a meeting between Czech Republic and Sweden for a place in Qatar. The Polish, Czech and Swedish federations wrote to FIFA saying games should not be played in Russia, citing the "military escalation" and "lower safety."
